Jones, Maguet ready to lead Corbin tennis teams into regional competition

In the coming days, regional championship titles will be decided on high school tennis courts. Local student-athletes will also learn who will have the opportunity to represent their schools at this year’s Kentucky High School Athletic Association State Championships. For Corbin’s Lindsay Jones and Quinn Maguet, this is a chance to once again lead the Redhounds on a deep postseason run.

Jones, a junior, recently commented that she is feeling good about the Lady Hounds’ chances of hoisting a regional championship title for the 15th consecutive year. As a freshman two seasons ago, she advanced to the Sweet 16 at state as a singles competitor. This year, she is hopeful that her and her doubles partner, Katie Morton, can advance even further, and perhaps even contend for a state championship title.

“I think we will have a really good run at region again this year,” Jones said. “I also expect me and Katie to make a good run at state. Right now, I am hoping that we will be projected to be in the top five.”

“Me and Katie have been playing doubles together since we were about six-years-old,” Jones added. “So, over the years we have built up a lot of chemistry. I think that we have become a really good team.”

Jones had to miss a couple of weeks of action this season due to a procedure to remove a spot of potentially pre-cancerous skin on her back. The area was completely removed, but it did require some cutting, stitches, and time to properly heal. Luckily for the Lady Hounds, she has pretty much been able to pick up right where she left off since returning in late April.

“It definitely threw everyone a curveball,” Jones said of her absence. “But I am really proud of my partner, Katie. She stepped up and played with a few different people while I was gone. She was really a team leader. I felt bad that everyone had to get moved around, and that we had to change the lineup, but I think that they all did a great job.”

In addition to Morton, Jones said that Olivia MacArthur, Riley Lewis, Mary Alice McVey and Bella Lopez all played crucial roles in stepping into leadership positions for the team this spring.

For senior Quinn Maguet, this season has served as the culmination of a long journey that began with him playing at the varsity level as a middle schooler six years ago.

“I started in seventh grade, so I have been on the team for a long time,” Maguet said. “I like that sense of being a leader, though. Of having the experience and being able to help some of the younger guys.”

Maguet said that, in the past, he has focused on playing either singles or doubles. This year, however, he has been able to contribute in both styles of competition, a fact that he says has offered him more opportunities and chances to contribute to the team’s overall success.

“I think it’s gone well,” Maguet said. “In previous years I have mostly played either singles or doubles, but this year I have been able to play both. I am typically playing every team’s best player, which I like, because it forces me to rise to the occasion and play better. I have been happy with the how the season has gone.”

Should the Corbin boys manage to win another regional title this year, it will be the team’s 23rd straight time achieving that accomplishment.

“Every year that I have played, the expectation has been to win the region and not settle for anything less,” Maguet explained. “This year has been pretty much the same.”

Team and individual regional tennis competitions are scheduled to take place through May 21 in London and Corbin. The 2024 KHSAA State Championships will kick off May 28 in Lexington. Results from these events will be made available once winners are determined.